In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which has been denominated varietally as xe2x80x98SNOW PRINCESSxe2x80x99. The present variety was hybridized by me in 1992, grown as a seedling on its own root in my greenhouse, and transplanted to a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). It was developed as a first generation cross using Diamond Princess (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,066) yellow flesh peach as the selected seed parent and an unnamed white flesh peach as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of peach tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of Nemaguard Rootstock (unpatented) upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its selected seed parent, Diamond Princess (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,066) peach, by producing freestone peaches that are globose in shape, firm in texture, and mostly red in skin color, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by producing fruit that is white instead of yellow in flesh color, that is subacid instead of acid in flavor, that is larger in size, and that matures about two weeks later.
The present variety is most similar to White Princess (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,515) peach by producing freestone peaches that are white in flesh color, subacid and sweet in flavor, and mostly red in skin color, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by blooming about ten days earlier, by having reniform instead of globose glands, and by producing fruit that is much larger in size and that matures about three weeks earlier.